Black Lords
History and Origins While some legions were known for their ferocity in close combat, or the speed with which they maneuvered, the First Legion was renown for their unique focus on ranged warfare, and for overwhelmingly accurate supporting barrages by their artillery sections. With multitude of ammo types for their bolters, The First ensures that a Black Lords infantry squad is one of the most versatile ground units in the Imperium, able to deal with any threat from afar with uncanny efficiency. And yet it is, perhaps, another trait of the First Legion, for which they are most well known. That trait, of course, being the Black Lords unflinching, and uncompromising discipline, even in the most trying of situations. Any order is met with instantaneous obedience, no matter how difficult or lethal to execute. This discipline also became the backbone of Black Lords distinct way of commanding. This way was formed by Primarch Horatio, who by utilizing the capabilities of the Hand of Fate, not only commanded his Legion on a strategical level, but going as far as directly micromanaging singular regiments and battalions. This way of commanding is unique to the Black Lords and one their Primarch Horatio has mastered. Resulting from this many Black Lord commanders attempt to replicate this style of direct leadership. However without the mental capacities of Horatio it becomes increasingly demanding to uphold that level of command, resulting in extreme fatigue. Due to this extreme fatigue, it is a common practise for Commanders to use so called Killing Ground tactics to limit the strain to their psyches. These tactics meant using parts of their forces in more static warfare, Ie. breaking through enemy lines in massed pincer manouvers, trapping swathes of the enemy into pockets. These pockets would then be eliminated through massed artillery bombardments, whilst infantry made sure that no one got in or out of the pocket. These Killing Ground tactics were born of the acknowledgement where Black Lords strengths lied, Ranged warfare and the uncanny ability to hold the line. Unification Most of Ist participation in the Unification Wars remains a mystery to this day. Through piecing together different tales and half truths it is revealed that the first of the proto-legions was tested in the vast battlefields of Merica. Considering how quickly the continent spanning Empire of Merica fell, this testing was likely more than successful. What is known for certainty is that once the Ist returned from their original deployment, they had earned themselves the epithet “Hounds of the north”, suggesting that they were especially successful in the northernmost hive cities of Merica. Another theory is that this name came from the way Ist’s companies fought in unison, yet competing for the glories and spoils of war, making them much like a pack of wolves. During the end stages of battle of Mount Ararat the Ist played a significant role in purging the thunder warriors, during which a company commander by the name of Hakon Einherj rose to being the premier officer of the First, earning himself the moniker First Hound. Early Great Crusade: At the beginning of the Great Crusade it was Emperor himself who took command of the Ist, with Hakon Einherj being promoted to Legion Master to act as his second in command. For the time being The First where unrivalled in their might. They were the original Angels of Death and with dreadful power fitting of that name they fought under the Emperor's command. Soon the Hound like nature of the legion surfaced again however, as with every passing battle, each separate company wanted to prove themselves individually to their Lord, resulting in them fighting more and more separate battles. Yet as long as they had the Emperor to lead them, these problems would come off only as overt enthusiasm. After all it was in their blood to obey those they saw worthy of their servitude and no one was more worthy than their creator and father figure. The moment this clear and unquestionable authority left however the Hounds started questioning their leaders, asking whether they truly were worthy of commanding them. Hakon Einherj truly was the greatest of his legion, and yet it was not enough to command his brothers. A commander no matter how good a tactician pales in comparison to the Emperor. Reunion of the Ist and Horatio: The initial reaction of the Ist legion to the founding of their primarch was relief. It was widely believed that he would be the salvation of the legion that struggled with it’s command structure and unity. When Horatio saw the state his sons were in, he started wide-scale reforms within the legion. The legion started to draft it’s acolytes from Avigron and the soldiers that had found under Horatio there. Then he ordered several Avigronian Imperial army regiments would be permanently assigned to support their limited numbers and changed the command structure so that every Legionary would do exactly how he was order by his officers. This was achieved by moulding the legion’s Consul Opsequari units into the dreaded Death’s Heads, whose numbers where then bolstered by those zealously loyal to Horatio and the Emperor. The Legion was to be one coherent fighting force, with discipline and high morale being the core values. After the reforms were finished, he and his legion drilled. Day after day, month after month, even year after year they trained and drilled, just as Horatio and his army had before the campaigns in Avigron. They approached each campaigning as a sophisticated training operation, which we gone through exactly as Horatio wished, using tactics he wanted the legion to learn, even if it initially resulted in more losses. Roughly a decade passed since the reunion before Horatio deemed his sons were ready. The whole legion was gathered to the recently conquered world of Epiro, where a great ball was held. As the precipice of the celebrations Horatio declared that his sons had earned themselves a new name. From now on they would be known as The Black Lords, Undeniable Lords of the battlefield clad in black, greatest of all astartes. Organization In his reforms, Horatio decided to split his legion into regiments of 1200, rather than the old chapters of 1000 legionaries. The reason behind this was twofold. Firstly his armies had always been formed into regiments of 1200, and he saw it best to keep it that way. Secondly this allowed him to place at least 200 of his Avigronian sons to each chapter, thus preventing a divide between Terran and Avigronian legionaries, as they would always serve together. For most of the Great Crusade Black Lords stood at 220 400 legionaries strong. The Legion was split to sixteen corps of 12 000- 15 600 legionaries. Each corps consisted of 10-13 regiments 1,200 men each, divided into two battalions of 600 men. Battalions were formed by four companies of 150 men. Regular squads of the Ist were 20 men strong, with each company having 7 of them and a 10 man command cadre. While the Ist always was a remarkable example of a legion excelling in every aspect of warfare, each Regiment also had a specialization in which it became the very master of it’s craft. The regiments where then split into six guilds according to the area they had masterrd. As the oldest of all the legions, the Black Lords had access to many mysterious weapons systems that were rare even amongst legiones astartes, such as Volkite weapons. Infantry Regiments Be it the often unseen Fusiliers or the mighty black formations of the line infantry, the Infantry regiments were some of the imperium’s best marksmen, always preferring to strike their enemies down from afar. The line infantry is renown for forming the unquestioned backbone of every Black Lord Corps. Cavalry Regiments Cavalry regiments were split to Hussar and Cuirassier battalions, representing Jetbikes and heavy armour respectively. Hussar battalions, while not that numerous are nigh completely formed by jet bike and land speeder squadrons that allowed extremely quick movement on the battlefield. Cuirassier battalions on the other hand consisted of heavy armour and transports, such as Mastodons and Sicarans. The units usually using those heavy transports were part of the regiment themselves, called Cuirassier infantry. Artillery Regiments The emphasis on artillery was something that put the Black Lords apart from other legions. Where ever it advanced, it’s enemies would be faced with barrage after barrage of merciless artillery strikes. It is widely believed that of all the legions astartes, the first had the most artillery pieces be it legion basilisks, Deimos whirlwinds, Medusas or other even heavier artillery vehicles.